A slider fastener capable of performing separable interfitting operation of the slider fastener by two kinds of operation to improve ease of use of a separable bottom end stop of the slider fastener is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-43568 (Patent Document 1).
A slider fastener 101 described in Patent Document 1 includes, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, a pair of first and second fastener stringers 106a, 106b having an element row 104 formed at a tape-side edge of right and left fastener tapes 102, a pair of first and second separable interfitting parts 110, 120 fixed to one end of the element row 104 in the first and second fastener stringers 106a, 106b, and a slider 130 slidably arranged along the element row 104.
The slider 130 includes an upper blade, a lower blade, a guide post 131 connecting the upper and lower blades, upper and lower flanges 132 arranged at a right and left side edge of the upper and lower blades, and a tab (not shown) attached to the upper blade. The slider 130 also has a posterior orifice arranged on a back end side and right and left shoulders arranged on both sides of the guide post 131. Further, an element guide passage 133 in a substantially Y shape communicatively connecting the right and left shoulders and the posterior orifice is formed between the upper and lower blades.
The first separable interfitting part 110 includes a slider-holding part 111 formed on front and back surfaces of the one (right) fastener tape 102, a thick pivotal stopping part 112 extended backward from the slider-holding part 111, a reinforcing part 113 formed on the tape inner side from the slider-holding part 111, and a concave groove 114 arranged on the side opposite to the second separable interfitting part 120.
The pivotal stopping part 112 extends from the back end of the slider-holding part 111 to the back end of tape and is formed in a curved shape from the back end of the tape toward the second separable interfitting part 120. Thus, the pivotal stopping part 112 has a substantially J shape in the front view. The pivotal stopping part 112 includes a pivotal movement space 115 whose front side is open so that a pivotal stopped part 122 described later of the second separable interfitting part 120 can be fitted and an inner circumferential surface 116 that freely rotatingly engages the pivotal stopped part 122 fitted into the pivotal movement space 115. Further, the pivotal stopping part 112 has a slit 117 cut through from the inner circumferential surface 116 of the pivotal stopping part 112 to an outer circumferential surface of the pivotal stopping part 112 formed in a tip portion of the pivotal stopping part 112.
The second separable interfitting part 120 includes a fitting plate 121 in a thin-plate shape integrally formed on front and back surfaces of the other (left) fastener tape 102, the pivotal stopped part 122 formed at the back end of the fitting plate 121, a projected rim 123 formed along an edge on the tape inner side of the fitting plate 121, a protruding part 124 formed at the front end of the fitting plate 121 continuously from the element row 104, and a dent 125 formed on the front surface and the back surface of the fitting plate 121.
In the second separable interfitting part 120, the fitting plate 121 is formed flat and the thickness in the tape front and back direction is formed smaller than an interval of a tape insertion gap (also called a tape groove) provided between upper and lower flange portions 132 of the slider 130. The fitting plate 121 is also provided with a notch portion 126 cut forward from the back end of tape. The pivotal stopped part 122 is formed cylindrically at the back end of the fitting plate 121 and the thickness dimension in the tape front and back direction of the pivotal stopped part 122 is formed smaller than the interval between the upper blade and the lower blade of the slider 130.
In the slide fastener 101 of Patent Document 1 having the above configuration, an engaging operation to engage the second separable interfitting part 120 into the first separable interfitting part 110 can arbitrarily be selected from two operations shown below when the first and second fastener stringers 106a, 106b on the right and left are closed.
First, as a first engaging operation, an operation to cause the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 to engage with the first separable interfitting part 110 by inserting from the side of the first separable interfitting part 110 without passing through an element guide passage 133 of the slider 130 will be described.
When the first engaging operation is performed, first the slider 130 is slid toward the first separable interfitting part 110 to hold the slider 130 on the slider-holding part 111. Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 is inserted into the pivotal movement space 115 through a gap formed between the pivotal stopping part 112 of the first separable interfitting part 110 and the slider 130 and further the pivotal stopped part 122 is caused to touch the inner circumferential surface 116 of the pivotal stopping part 112. Accordingly, the second separable interfitting part 120 can be caused to engage with the first separable interfitting part 110.
Subsequently, the second separable interfitting part 120 is rotated around the pivotal stopped part 122 toward the first separable interfitting part 110 to insert the fitting plate 121 of the second separable interfitting part 120 into the element guide passage 133 through the tape insertion gap of the slider 130. Accordingly, the right and left element rows 104 are positioned for stable interlocking.
Then, the slider 130 is slid upward while the fitting plate 121 is inserted through the element guide passage 133 of the slider 130. Accordingly, the fitting plate 121 of the second separable interfitting part 120 is fitted into the concave groove 114 of the first separable interfitting part 110 and also the slide fastener 101 can be caused to close by causing the right and left element rows 104 to interlock.
Next, as a second engaging operation, an operation to cause the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 to engage with the first separable interfitting part 110 by inserting into the pivotal movement space 115 of the first separable interfitting part 110 through the element guide passage 133 of the slider 130 will briefly be described.
When the second engaging operation is performed, first, like in the first engaging operation, the slider 130 is slid toward the first separable interfitting part 110 hold the slider 130 on the slider-holding part 111. Next, as shown in FIG. 20, the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 is inserted from the shoulder of the slider 130. Accordingly, the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 is inserted into the pivotal movement space 115 of the first separable interfitting part 110 by passing through the element guide passage 133 of the slider 130 and further engaged with the pivotal stopping part 112 by touching the inner circumferential surface 116 of the pivotal stopping part 112.
Accordingly, the right and left element rows 104 are positioned for stable interlocking. Then, like the first engaging operation, the slide fastener 101 can be caused to close by sliding the slider 130 upward while the fitting plate 121 is inserted through the element guide passage 133 of the slider 130.
According to Patent Document 1, when the closed slide fastener 101 is separated, the slider 130 is slid toward the first separable interfitting part 110 to cause the slider-holding part 111 to hold the slider 130. Subsequently, the pivotal stopped part 122 of the second separable interfitting part 120 engaged with the pivotal stopping part 112 is removed by passing through a gap formed between the first separable interfitting part 110 and the slider 130 or by passing through the element guide passage 133 of the slider 130. Accordingly, the first and second fastener stringers 106a, 106b on the right and left can be separated.
The slide fastener 101 according to Patent Document 1 has, as described above, a structure in which two different operations of the first engaging operation and the second engaging operation described above can be performed and thus, the user of the slide fastener 101 can arbitrarily adopt one of the engaging operations to close the slide fastener 101. Therefore, the slide fastener 101 excels in operability of the separable interfitting operation and has an advantage that anyone can use the slide fastener 101 easily.